Life sometimes gets in the way. For personal reasons, I”m having to take a break from music for a while, mostly due to the expense of releasing anything. I hope you enjoy some free mp3s, streaming tunes, and videos in the meantime.

On the plus side, I’ve returned to classical composition after almost 20 years, so when I return to instrumental metal, I might be using even more of my training than before.

– Rand

Share this:

Like this:

Recently, the night before the singer came over to sing on “Sleeping Giant,” I finally wrote the lyrics! With all the singer changes, I was having new guys do the songs other guys had already done, which meant I didn’t need to get moving on this one for a long time, especially when another guy split. We’re on singer #6 , if you’re keeping count.

Unfortunately, life is continuing to get in the way so that progress is once again slow, but I think this will pick-up soon, after the holidays. In the meantime, I’m trying to make sure we have at least working lyrics and vocal parts ready for songs that still needed work.

Like this:

I’ve just put up a new website for my metal band, Z-Order. I put together a logo and album cover for Utopia, too. And I’ve added new songs so you can now hear half of the album, though the vocals aren’t on those recordings and the mixes are mine, not the pro job Drew does. Still, it gives you a better idea what the album sounds like: old school metal like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Metallica. Check it out!

Share this:

Like this:

I’m pleased to give you a new site to look at that only shows the music on a sub-site for a cleaner, more modern look. Most of the existing content is still here but maybe rearranged a little. I’m still getting some MP3s and PDFs uploaded, so bear with me. On parts of the site you can now make comments!

Share this:

Like this:

It’s seemed like a quiet few months for music, but my metal band, Z-Order, has a new singer as of August 2014. Walt and I are hard at work trying to finish the Utopia album. Most of the work is really his, as Dave, James, and myself finished our parts years ago. I’m mostly engineering and acting as producer.

It’s hard to believe Walt is the sixth, yes sixth singer to work on this. The first singer quit all the way back in March of 2011, almost four years ago. When the album is done, I’ll deserve a medal for perserverance, but if you know anything about my personal life, you’ll know it’s nothing new. In a sense, I’m the opposite of the singers who’ve quit, honoring a commitment to the point of insanity.

But I know the material is worth it, and when you finally hear it, I’m confident you’ll agree. I’d give a release date but don’t want to jinx this – and I need all the luck I can find!